1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a drive shaft assembly and, more particularly, to a drive shaft assembly which prevents backlash and reverse rotation of the drive shaft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, it is known to mechanically couple a piston to rotate a drive shaft. In typical internal combustion piston-type devices, a crank shaft is used to transfer linear motion of the piston to rotational motion of the crank shaft. The operation of a crank shaft, however, requires that a plurality of pistons be coupled to a single crank shaft to completely rotate the crank shaft.
By adding a plurality of piston assemblies, both initial costs and maintenance costs are increased. Additionally, it is much more likely that one of a plurality of pistons will fail, than it is that a single piston, by itself, would fail.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide means for converting linear motion to rotational motion without the need for a plurality of pistons. The difficulties encountered in the prior art discussed hereinabove are substantially eliminated by the present invention.